Activism
Breaking barriers for future generations through education, storytelling, and community service.
Reflection on identity
During the COVID period, Cassie was confronted with her ethnicity in unfortunate circumstances.
She began to learn about her history and other communities of colour. She uses music education and her multiculturalism to heal and create change across communities.
Harmony Program NY
Working to bring music education to underprivileged communities and public schools. Chang taught General Music to first graders in Chinatown and Queens.
Teaching ESL
During Changs time at Manhattan School of Music she was scouted by Dean Christensen to assistant teach ESL and help international students.
Occurring in discussions with leadership and awareness on how to better the institution
Truth & Reconciliation Day
Chang was asked by headmaster Larry Larmont and endorsed by Chelsea Gladstone of the Haida Nation to speak and perform Vancouver Song on TRD to over 500 students at Shawnigan Lake School. She was an alumni 2016 and was later published about in the school magazine.
Qiao Wang Academy
Taught as voice faculty at QW academy. A music school founded by pianist Qiao Wang working with Chinese-Canadian children.
Kodály Summer Institute NYU Steinhardt
Learning methods to teach young children how to sing. Chang took a class at NYU towards her Kodály certification.
St. John’s volunteering
Part-time volunteering for the Kids Ministry at St. John’s in Vancouver.
Kiwanis Music Festival
Leading and directing volunteers during the 2024 festival in Vancouver.
Visiting history
Breaking barriers can be difficult work so it’s important to take healing breaks. For Cassie, this means spending time with Chinese culture and her family in Beijing. She works on decolonizing parts of herself in order to share minority stories more deeply and objectively.
Pictured is a Chinese Opera house at the Summer Palace built in 1891.
Body Type Casting
Large person= Large operatic instrument Small person= Small operatic instrument
Physical stereotypes are especially prevalent in the female voice. Talent emerging are the ones that fit physical stereotypes, even though there are many individuals who defy this uneducated assumption.
Cassie is a petite asian girl and Lyric Spinto. By nature a reminder that humans come in every voice type, body type, and skin colour combination.
Cross-Culture Learning
Worked with Kokua as a long term substitute. Assigned to Co-Teach grade 7 English Language Arts to an all black classroom in Brownsville Brooklyn NY. What google calls the most dangerous neighbourhood in NY.
Discovering racial segregation, working with black leadership for black students, seeing the struggle. Sharing her music, her own struggle in opera, and her ethnic culture. Trying Jamaican food with the staff!
“Ms.Chang is your hair natural?”
“Ms.Chang you need to open an exotic fruit shop next door then you don’t need to work no more.”
“Yo Ms.Chang where are you from? The kids think you’re from The Hood”
Reaching for the Arts
Working with MSM alumni Sharon Daley-Johnson (BM’88, MM’89) and founder of Reaching for the Arts.
Chang taught a class of 4th graders and prepared them to sing in a celebratory concert with current MSM Students.
Creating impact with the Black Student Union during Black History Month.